Shotshell Reload Calculator
Component quantities for shotshell reloading.
About this calculator
This calculator adds up every component that goes into a reloaded shotshell — powder, shot, primer, wad, and hull — and prices the batch against buying factory ammunition outright. Powder and shot needs are computed from the standard 7,000-grains-per-pound and 16-ounces-per-pound conversions: your powder charge in grains times shells loaded gives total grains, converted to pounds and priced from your cost per pound, while your shot weight in ounces times shells loaded gives total shot weight, converted to pounds and priced from your bag cost divided by bag weight. Primers are priced per shell from a cost-per-100 figure and wads from a cost-per-250 figure (both assuming exactly one of each per shell, which holds for the overwhelming majority of shotshell loads), and hull cost is either the price of a new hull or effectively zero if you're reusing fired hulls from your own brass — enter 0 there to model that. Everything is summed into a total reload cost and divided by shell count for a cost-per-shell figure, which is then compared against your entered factory box price and box size to compute savings per shell, total savings, and savings percentage.
The tool also reports bags of shot needed, rounded up, so you know how many full bags to buy rather than a fractional-bag total. One caveat worth flagging: this is a component-cost calculator only — it doesn't account for reloading press amortization, dies, or your own time, so the "savings" figure reflects raw material cost, not total cost of ownership of a reloading setup. Always cross-check your powder charge in grains against a current reloading manual for your specific hull, wad, and shot combination before loading live ammunition.
Inputs
Results
Reload cost per shell ($)
$0.35
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter Shells to Load and your load data: Powder Charge in grains and Shot Weight in ounces.
- Set component costs: Powder per lb, Shot per bag (and bag weight), Primers per 100, Wads per 250, and Hull cost.
- Enter Factory Ammo cost per box and box size for comparison.
- Review Cost per Shell, Total Reload Cost, Savings per Shell, Total Savings, and Savings Percentage.
- Check Total Powder and Shot needed to confirm you have enough components on hand.
How the result changes with Shot bag weight (lbs)
| Shot bag weight (lbs) | Reload cost per shell ($) |
|---|---|
| 13 | $0.47 |
| 19 | $0.39 |
| 38 | $0.31 |
| 50 | $0.29 |
What each input means
- Shells to load
- Number of shotshells you want to reload.
- Powder charge (grains)
- Powder charge per shell in grains (from reloading manual).
- Shot weight (oz)
- Shot payload per shell in ounces.
- Powder cost per lb ($)
- Cost of one pound of powder.
- Shot cost per bag ($)
- Cost of one bag of shot.
- Shot bag weight (lbs)
- Weight of one bag of shot in pounds.
- Primer cost per 100 ($)
- Price for 100 shotshell primers.
- Wad cost per 250 ($)
- Price for 250 wads.
- Hull cost each ($)
- Cost per hull (often $0 if reusing fired hulls).
- Factory ammo cost/box ($)
- Price of one box of factory ammunition for comparison.
- Factory box size
- Number of shells in a factory box.
What each result means
- Reload cost per shell ($)
- Total cost to reload one shotshell.
- Total reload cost ($)
- Total cost of components for all shells.
- Savings per shell ($)
- Savings compared to factory ammo, per shell.
- Total savings ($)
- Total money saved by reloading instead of buying factory.
- Savings percentage
- Percentage saved compared to factory ammo price.
- Total powder needed (lbs)
- Pounds of powder required for the batch.
- Total shot needed (lbs)
- Pounds of shot required for the batch.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersShells to load = 100, Powder charge (grains) = 18.5, Shot weight (oz) = 1.125, Powder cost per lb ($) = 30 = 11 input(s) provided
- Calculate Reload cost per shellReload cost per shell = totalReloadCost / shellsToLoad0.3538 = $0.354
- Calculate Total reload costTotal reload cost = powderCost + shotCost + primerCost + wadCost + hullCost35.38 = $35.38
- Calculate Savings per shellSavings per shell = factoryCostPerShell - costPerShell0.0462 = $0.046
Engine last updated . Checked against 3 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the default hull cost show as nearly $0?
The hull cost input defaults to $0.05 each, but it's meant to model reusing your own fired hulls rather than buying new ones — set it to 0 if you're loading with brass or plastic hulls you already fired and collected. Only enter a real hull price if you're buying fresh hulls for the batch.
Does the savings-per-shell figure include my reloading press or my time?
No — total reload cost only sums powder, shot, primer, wad, and hull costs, so the savings figure it produces reflects raw component cost versus factory ammo, not the full cost of owning a reloading setup. Press amortization, dies, and the time you spend at the bench aren't part of this calculation, so treat the savings percentage as a materials-only comparison.
Why does the calculator assume exactly one primer and one wad per shell?
Primer cost is computed from your cost-per-100 figure divided across shells loaded, and wad cost from a cost-per-250 figure the same way, both built on the assumption of one primer and one wad consumed per shell. That holds for the overwhelming majority of shotshell loads, so it's a safe default, but it would need adjusting for any nonstandard load using multiple wads.
Why does bags needed round up instead of to the nearest bag?
Total shot weight is converted to pounds and divided by your bag weight, then the result is rounded up with Math.ceil so you always know the number of full bags to actually purchase — rounding to the nearest bag could tell you to buy one fewer bag than you need to complete the batch.
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